WWE Pulls Major Draft U-Turn, Roster Changes Delayed?
Could it soon be time to shake things up a bit for Raw, SmackDown and NXT?
If you heard that the next WWE draft might be just around the corner, you might have gotten some premature intel.
The annual tradition of shaking up WWE's rosters seemed to be slated to take place shortly after next month's Clash at the Castle PLE, but it looks like that might no longer be the case. Fightful Select reports that USA Network sources have told talent that the draft isn't happening "in the immediate future," pointing to post-WrestleMania 39 as a more likely time.
Many on the roster were expecting the draft to take place in early September, which is reasonable when you consider that the previous three drafts happened in early October. However, Fightful notes that several Raw talents were un-booked from the SmackDown episode following Clash at the Castle, which could be an indication that any plans for a draft beginning that week are now off the table.
WWE hasn't officially announced a draft, and USA Network internally doesn't have a date listed for the draft, according to Fightful.
The WWE draft (or Superstar Shakeup as it was known for a few years) has produced mixed results through the years. Some of the more infamous moments surrounding the draft include the Dudley Boyz being split up, Triple H being drafted to SmackDown and then traded back to Raw for a king's ransom, and John Cena being drafted from Raw to SmackDown and then back to Raw on the same night.
Last year, Hit Row was drafted from NXT to SmackDown, only to be released from the company a month later. Three of the original four members were rehired earlier this month.